The City of San José is redesigning several streets to make it safer, more convenient, and more comfortable to bike. With simple design changes like protected bike lanes on wide streets, protected intersections at busy crossings, and traffic diverters on small streets, we are focusing on providing calm, comfortable, and connected bicycling routes.

It’s not just about bikes, though—the same improvements that make it safer to bike also make it easier to walk. Protected bike lanes provide more space between sidewalks and moving traffic. Narrower lanes discourage drivers from speeding. Protected intersections make crosswalks shorter and place pedestrians so they are more visible to drivers. And better places to bike on the street helps get people on bikes and scooters off the sidewalk and onto the bike lane, freeing up space for walking and reducing crashes and close calls.

Protected Bike Lanes

By using inexpensive, traffic-tested materials, we plan to switch the position of parking lanes and bike lanes when streets are already being paved, letting parked cars do the work of protecting the bikeway. These projects will enhance safety on streets that already have bike lanes.

Calm Streets

These streets, which already have light traffic and slow speeds, will be updated at intersections to give priority to people biking and walking. This helps make streets more comfortable for people of all ages and abilities without adding dedicated bike lanes.

UPDATE 9/25:

Moving forward, vehicles must be parked in the marked parking areas along Better Bikeways corridors as soon as they are striped, whether or not there are cones or posts present.

This means no parking in the bike lane or diagonally striped loading and buffer areas. If there is a parking meter on the sidewalk, a parking fee must be paid according to the posted times and rates.

Thank you for parking in a safe and appropriate manner, and thank you for your patience as we implement this first-of-its-kind project in San José.

UPDATE 9/13: Better BikewaySJ are under construction!

Please pay attention to work crews, signs, and new striping to stay safe as you travel in and through downtown.

Better BikewaySJ will be installed on many of the street segments that will be repaved in Summer 2018. These paving projects are an opportunity to change design of the street between the curbs. The design process began with a network vision, and used a Complete Streets approach to enhance bikeways, add pedestrian crosswalks, adjust bus stop locations, and add traffic calming as part of bike boulevards.

In spring and summer 2018, City staff held five community meetings, presented to 13 neighborhood groups and 11 additional community meetings and gatherings, consulted with downtown stakeholders, met one-one-one with residents and business owners, and updated the design plans to incorporate feedback. The table below summarizes major changes compared to today. These changes will be shared through mailings and in-person outreach.

Next Steps

Better Bikeways construction will start in late August, in tandem with our paving program. See below for a map with project locations and a table describing the design and any major changes street-by-street.

The City of San Joséis committed to open and honest government and strives to consistently meet the community’s expectations by providing excellent service, in a positive and timely manner, and in the full view of the public.